This is a Super-Plus Length Novel, almost 135,000 words long. A woman alone on a dangerous planet, where females must have male protection to survive...A warrior intent on keeping his vow never to call a bride...When Selena is framed for a crime she didn't commit, can Valen save her?And will he lose his heart in the process? The Vampire and the Violinist... Selena Bates's ex was as boring as they come--entirely too vanilla for her adventurous tastes. Now she's getting a chance to visit a whole new planet where nobody is vanilla. On Ma'shorka Centra, all females are required to have a "Seal of Independence" prominently displayed, or a male Master who is responsible for keeping them in line. Unfortunately, Selena is single, but a girl can dream, can't she? And anyway, she's determined to have the adventure of a lifetime, playing her violin for the Emperor himself. Valen is a Defender--the Kindred version of a lawyer. He's also a Pitch-Blood Kindred--the only kind of Blood Kindred who actually needs to drink blood. Having taken a vow never to call a bride, he is intensely irritated to find that he is sitting next to a tempting, curvy Elite on the interstellar shuttle to Ma'shorka Centra. Determined to ignore her, he gives Selena the impression that he's a world-class jerk. However, when she gets attacked at the alien spaceport and her Seal of Independence is stolen,